ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Russia and China now enjoy unprecedented mutual trust, sharing either the same or similar viewpoints on international affairs, Russian President Vladimir Putin said here in an exclusive interview with Xinhua President Cai Mingzhao.
Putin said the two countries jointly safeguard international stability and are also jointly implementing the Beijing-proposed Belt and Road Initiative that aims to build a trade network connecting Asia, Europe and Africa.
Putin said Russia and China are actively cooperating through such multilateral cooperation platforms as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the BRICS mechanism and the United Nations.
"We have maintained contact regularly, and carried out consultations on global and regional affairs. We see each other as close allies, so of course we always listen to each other, by this I mean we keep in mind each other's interests," Putin said.
Putin spoke highly of Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York last year marking the 70th anniversary of the body's establishment.
At that time, Xi called for solving all disputes peacefully with the help of international law and made concrete measures to promote international poverty reduction, which is rare among global leaders, Putin said.
"It is these positions, instead of just geographic proximity, that unite us in international affairs," Putin stressed.
Read the full story at Xinhua